The Issyk-Kul Region is located in the eastern part of Kyrgyzstan. It was established on November 21, 1939, and after several reorganizations, it was officially confirmed in its current form on December 14, 1990. To the north and northeast, the region borders Kazakhstan; to the east and southeast, it borders China; to the west and southwest, it borders the Naryn Region; and to the northwest, it borders the Chui Region. The area of the region is 43.1 thousand square kilometers (21.6% of the total area of the republic). The population is 413.1 thousand people (8.6% of the total population).
The region consists of 5 districts (Ak-Suu, Jeti-Oguz, Ton, Tyup, Issyk-Kul), and 3 cities (Balykchy, Karakol, Cholpon-Ata). The city of Karakol is the regional center.
The city was founded in 1869 on the site of the Ak-Suu fortress as a military-administrative and trading post on the Great Silk Road. The population of the city is 70 thousand residents. For a long time, the city was named after the great Russian traveler and explorer of Central Asia, N.M. Przhevalsky. Among the architectural monuments, special attention is drawn to the Dungan mosque in the style of a Buddhist pagoda, built in 1910 from wood without a single nail, featuring a cornice characteristic of Chinese architecture. Another historical value is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, built in 1872, also made of wood and without nails. The architecture of this church is a prime example of Russian wooden architecture.
Other tourist attractions include the Karakol Bazaar, the Historical and Local Lore Museum, and the zoo. In 1993, training for tourism organizers began at the Issyk-Kul State University named after K. Tynystanov.
20 km southeast of Karakol is the stunningly beautiful Arashan Gorge. At an altitude of 2600 meters in a wide valley with a coniferous forest, green meadows, and fragrant flowers, the Altyn-Arashan resort is located, organized around hot radon springs. To the west of Karakol, in the upper reaches of the Karakol Gorge, is the Ala-Tuu alpine base, surrounded by impressive peaks: Djigit (6130 m), Karakol Peak (5281 m), Przhevalsky Peak (5283 m), Zhukov Peak (4450 m), Telman Peak (4460 m), and others.
The main part of the Issyk-Kul Region is occupied by the Issyk-Kul Valley and the high-altitude plateaus located to the south of it—high-altitude plains at an altitude of over 3000 m. The Issyk-Kul Valley is formed by the Kungrad Ala-Too mountain ranges to the north and the Terskey Ala-Too to the south, which come close to each other at the eastern and western ends of the valley, forming a closed mountain basin. The Issyk-Kul basin stretches 250 km from west to east and 100 km from north to south. The central part of the valley is occupied by Lake Issyk-Kul. In the eastern part of the Issyk-Kul Region, on the Kokshaala-Too ridge, is the highest point of Kyrgyzstan—Victory Peak (7439 m). In the Tengri-Tag ridge is Khan-Tengri Peak (6995 m). At the junction of the Kokshaala-Too, Meridional, Inylchek, Tengri-Tag, and Sary-Jaz ridges lies the highest and most powerful Tien Shan mountain knot, Muztag, which consists of about 50 peaks with heights of 5000-6000 m and 760 glaciers with a total area of 1517 square kilometers. This mountain knot is one of the most powerful centers of glaciation in the world. At the junction of the Southern and Northern Inylchek glaciers lies the unique Merzbacher Lake. 118 rivers in the eastern part of the Issyk-Kul basin flow into Lake Issyk-Kul. The largest of them are: Jergalan (length 250 km), Tyup (120 km), Karakol, Chon Ak-Suu, Jeti-Oguz, Barskoon, and others. In the northwestern part of the valley flows the Chu River. The Naryn and Sary-Jaz rivers originate in the plateaus.
The climate of the Issyk-Kul Valley is determined by the isolation of the valley and the presence of a large non-freezing lake. The lake moderates the climate of the valley, preventing exhausting heat in summer and severe frosts in winter. The average temperature in July is about 18°C, and in January it is -2 to -4°C. The distribution of precipitation in the basin is greatly influenced by air currents: the western wind Ulan and the eastern wind Santash. The stronger of the two, Ulan, can reach speeds of up to 40 m/s. It brings all the moisture to the eastern part of the basin, including that evaporating from the lake's surface. The average annual precipitation in the eastern part of the valley is about 600 mm, while in the west it is only 115 mm. The majority of precipitation falls during the summer. The climatic conditions on the slopes of the surrounding ridges are subject to vertical zonality: with increasing altitude, temperature decreases and precipitation increases. The plateaus have a sharply continental climate. The average annual temperature is 3-7°C, and the amount of precipitation is 200-300 mm.
The distribution of vegetation cover depends not only on high zonality but also on the clearly expressed characteristic features of the western and eastern parts of the Issyk-Kul Region. For example, in the west, the coastal plain is dominated by deserts, while the slopes of the mountains are semi-deserts; in the east, the coastal plain features steppes, and in the gorges of the Terskey Ala-Too, there are dense coniferous forests. In the eastern part of the valley, in the foothills up to an altitude of 2100 m, cereal and herbaceous steppes prevail. Up to 3000 m, there is a forest-meadow zone, with high-altitude meadows, and on the slopes facing north and west, there are forests of fir trees with a rich undergrowth of rowan, birch, honeysuckle, barberry, and wild rose. At an altitude of 3000-3400 m, there is a subalpine zone, and above that, alpine meadows. The snow line passes at an altitude of 3600-3700 m.
The fauna includes 50 species of mammals, 285 species of birds, 11 species of reptiles, 4 species of amphibians, 31 species of fish, more than 30 species of invertebrates, and about 10 species of vertebrate endemics. Rare species included in the Red Book of Kyrgyzstan are: bear, otter, lynx, manul, snow leopard, maral, pink pelican, black stork, flamingo, mountain goose, and others. In the valleys of the Arabell-Suu and Kumtor rivers, which form the Taragay River, gray marmots live on the plateaus. In summer, the air above the plateaus is filled with a thin piercing whistle. Marmots are abundant here. They venture no more than a hundred meters from their burrows and quickly disappear underground at the first sign of danger.
Among the minerals of the region, gold (Kumtor deposit) occupies a primary place. The economy of the Issyk-Kul Region is based on promising tourism, recreational resources, and the mining industry. The main wealth of the region is Lake Issyk-Kul, its pleasant sea air, sandy beaches, thermal and mineral waters, healing mud, and sanatorium-resort complexes located around the entire lake.
The region has road, rail, air, and water transport routes. The main highway is built around Lake Issyk-Kul and connects almost all settlements in the region. There are airports in the cities of Karakol and Cholpon-Ata, operating mainly during the tourist season.
The region is rich in historical, archaeological, and architectural monuments: rock paintings from the Paleolithic era (upper reaches of the Sary-Jaz River, Cholpon-Ata), belonging to the ancient nomadic culture, Saka-Usun monuments of the early Iron Age (7-5 centuries BC), and settlements: Barskoon, Darkhan, Ton, Bar-Bulak, Bosteri, etc. (XI-XV centuries).
Historical and cultural monuments of the city of Karakol
Attractions of the southern shore of Issyk-Kul and Terskey Ala-Too
Attractions of the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul and Kungoy Ala-Too
Sunken cities and Lake Issyk-Kul
Natural and ecological complexes:
High-altitude natural and ecological complex Inylchek
The forest zone begins at an altitude of 2100 meters above sea level. The main tree here is juniper, with many shrubs and tall grass meadows. The Tien Shan fir grows mainly on the moist slopes of the Kungoy Ala-Too and particularly loves the deep secluded gorges of the Terskey Ala-Too.
At an altitude of 3000-3400 meters, travelers will encounter a subalpine landscape transitioning to the alpine meadow zone. Here, alongside medium-grass meadows, there are dense thickets of creeping juniper and karagapa. From 3400 to 3800 meters is the alpine zone. The air is dry, with frequent frosts at night and a very short growing season for plants. Low-grass meadows give way to rocks and wide trails of stone debris. Higher still are cliffs and glaciers interspersed with tundra landscapes. At the peaks of the Terskey Ala-Too lies the second largest center of glaciation in the Tien Shan, which has over a thousand glaciers with a total area of about 1100 square kilometers. Most of them are concentrated in the upper reaches of the Turgun-Ak-Suu, Arashan, Karakol, Jeti-Oguz, and Chon-Kyzyl-Suu rivers. The glaciers in this zone descend below the snow line—down to 3000-3500 meters.
For many tens of kilometers south and southeast of the Terskey Ala-Too watershed stretch the plateaus, representing flat plains at an altitude of 3200-3700 meters in the upper reaches of the Naryn and Sary-Jaz rivers, alternating with the Sary-Jaz, Ak-Shyyrak, Inylchek, Kainy and other ridges. These ridges converge in the east to form the powerful mountain knot Muztag, which crowns the second highest peak in the CIS—Victory Peak (7439 meters). Here, the greatest glaciers spread out, the largest of which are Inylchek, Reznikenko, and Kainy.
Plateaus are characterized by a morainic relief, swamps, and many small shallow lakes with low banks. The climate is harsh and sharply continental. Summers are short and cool, with frosts every night. A strong western wind constantly blows, calming only briefly in the morning and evening. Snow can fall even in summer, but overall, precipitation is low, as the wind loses moisture when crossing the ridge and brings only a small amount of moisture here. The plateaus are characterized by high-altitude steppe and desert landscapes with sparse cover, and only small areas of south-facing slopes are occupied by diverse alpine meadows. Only the most daring and resilient travelers will uncover all the beauties of this harsh land of glaciers, towering peaks, and sky-high lakes.
In the Issyk-Kul tourist area, 24 tourist zones have been identified. Boom, Toru-Aigyr, Chok-Tal, Cholpon-Ata, Bosteri, Korumdu, Chon-Ak-Suu, Semenovskoye (Ak-Suu), Chet-Baisorun, Tyup, Turgun-Ak-Suu, Arashan, Karakol, Jeti-Oguz, Chon-Kyzyl-Suu, Juu-Ku, Barskaun, Ak-Terek, Kadzhi-Sai are interesting and accessible for both experienced and novice tourists, as well as for those simply resting on the shores of Issyk-Kul.
The Muztag-Sary-Jaz and Ak-Shyyrak zones can only be recommended for experienced travelers. It is worth introducing the reader in detail to three other zones, which are primarily educational in nature.
On the southern slopes of the Kungoy Ala-Too is the Toru-Aigyr zone. The bare desert of the foothills and valley part sharply contrasts with the picturesque gorges located slightly higher. The growing thickets of fir trees, juniper thickets interspersed with shrub undergrowth, high-altitude multi-species herbaceous vegetation, and thickets of sea buckthorn, barberry, wild rose, chia, and wild red cherry amaze with their diversity. The animal world is no less surprising. In the coastal area, in the dense thickets of sea buckthorn, there are pheasants, hares, and the muskrat and the Ussuri raccoon, which were specially brought here. In the forests, one can encounter roe deer, lynx, bear, badger, marten, polecat, and the Teleut squirrel. Higher, in the alpine and subalpine zones, live the mountain goat, snow leopard, griffon, eagle, and golden eagle. Wolves and foxes are common. There is a version that the name of the village Toru-Aigyr is a rephrased Toru-Adyr—brown scorched land. It seems that the very landscape of the coastal zone confirms such a name. But the people have created a legend, romanticizing the beloved steed of the nomad, the bay stallion—Aigyr. A hero perished in battle with enemies. And no one would have known of his demise if his horse—a bay stallion—had not swum across the entire Issyk-Kul and returned to his native aiyl. Since then, the area has been called by his name—the name of a faithful and mighty horse.
The Chok-Tal zone is named after the village located on a cape that extends far into the lake and resembles the outline of the highest peak of the Kungoy Ala-Too—Chok-Tal (4771 m). "Peak of the fallen mountain" is how this name can be translated.